The Nature Nurture Project is a project designed to help local children and young people to connect with nature. It is funded by National Lottery Reaching Communities and HiWCF Flourishing Communities grants, and will allow groups of young people to design their own projects linked to and based at Harmony Woods.

You can read about the 2022-23 Nature Nurture sessions here: www.andovertrees.org.uk/blog-list/2023/4/nature-nurture-2022-23

July 2024

July’s sessions have come and gone, and with them, comes the end of the academic year for the young carers. This means that thier time on the nature nurture project with ATU has also come to an end. It was such a shame that the last couple of sessions could not run, due to covid illness - so I really hope that we will see some of the young people up at the woods over the summer.

The young people that did come up to the woods, really made the most of their last sessions. We had devised a wish list of things that they would like to do - and with whirlwind sessions - I think we managed to fit it all in! We had bat and moth games, bird games, fire lighting, smores over the fire-pit, hot dogs and onions, slime making, clay tree protecters, water colours, wood painting, den building, whittling skills and woodwork….phew! what a last month! (sorry if i’ve missed anything out!)

It has been a fantastic year with these groups of amazing young people - we have loved getting to know them and really hope we will be able to carry on building the relationships with them and the woods next year. Until then - have a wonderful Summer.

June 2024

The wildflower meadows really did shine this month, and along with the pond they have been the top points of interest all month. The ox-eye daisies, tadpoles, mayflys and newts have been truly amazing and have kept the young people absaloutly absorbed all month. June is a hard month for teenagers, with non stop test and exams, and some days the young people looked pretty despondant when they arrived on site. However….pond dipping and leaf bashing in the glorious June fresh air really did turn them around. It was joyous to hear and see the enthusiasm and excitement as tadpoles with sprouting legs were spotted and newts showed thier faces amongst the beautiful flag irises. Our oldest young carers, after perfecting their wood splitting techniques, moved onto the saw to learn several new techniques, making themsleves a mallet to take to Young Carers camp next month - great job! That along with the magic of chlorphyl being transferred from plant to material made June a truly magical month at the woods.

May 2024

Bank holidays reduced the number of sessions that we were able to meet with the young carers, but the sessions we did manage were really lovely. The young people are so comfortable at the site now and it really feels as if they can utalise all the different space with easr. Richard found himelf as chief flower presser in the middle classroom - I’m not sure how in control he really was! The middle room was also a calm space for music to be written and sung; whilst the hazel circle continued as the main meeting space…with of course toast a plenty around the fire pit! whilst others continued their den making skills.

April 2024

April certainly did not disappoint as we found ourselves amongst all of the Spring weather that mother nature threw at us; from gales to temperatures in the mid twenties! None of this put the young people off making toast around the fire pit! As the visits become more regular, the confidence of the young people to enjoy the space increases. Phones have now been put away during sessions and the young people are enjoying their time together at the woods. The hazel circle is a popular meeting place and the centre room of the cabin is a calm spot to enjoy a chat and making music together. As the po;ularity of toast increases, we realised that we were left with an awful lot of charcoal, the young people have utilised this natural resource and enjoyed making charcoal paint; some of which was made into beautiful natural stencils; whilst others went for the body paint route! It was pretty clear that more kindling would be needed for this amount of toast! The young wood does not produce an awful lot of kindling/sticks so the older groups have enjoyed learning a new skill - taking the logs and splitting them down with the billhook to make a constant supply - Issy was very grateful! The natural world has shone out as well this month - the tadpoles are really getting fat, and the groups have spotted many newts along with the first damsel fly of the year. With the summer looking like it is getting ready to visit, we are really looking forward to working out how to get the hammocks up!

March 2024

March was an exciting time, as with the days getting longer - and with everything crossed, the weather calming down - we were able to welcome the Young Carers back to the woods. The young people were amazing and we truly did have some wonderful sessions. The weather was slightly temperamental...and the minibus got stuck in the mud! - but that aside it was fabulous to see the young people so relaxed in the woods. We saw singing around the firepit, amazing SAS style den building, awesome exploring and wonderful friendships. Here's to the Summer term and making memories.

February 2024

With a shortened month due to half term, we were only able to see three of our young carers groups this month. With a real focus on the humble stick, two of the groups were keen to show that a stick is not just a stick! In fact, with the growing population of rooks and crows in our towns, the young people got to work... the Young Carers bungalow is now armed with a corvid defense system of scarecrows and wooden windchimes! We also had the opportunity to discuss with the groups what they are most looking forward to about coming back up the woods from March. As the Spring approaches, it brings with it longer days and the opportunity to explore the woods, relax in the hazel circle and learn some new skills. We are also incredibly proud of the wildflower artwork that the young people have created with us over the winter. You will now see this displayed in both of the waiting rooms at Andover train station, please pop in for a look and continue to vote for your favourite wildflower in our poll. You will have plenty of opportunities to help to create a wonderful new wildflower meadow at the Diamond Wood over the upcoming months.

January 2024

Even though our lovely sustainable cabin opened in December, the lack of lighting and long evenings has meant that we have been unable to run our Young Carer sessions at the wood - not long to go until the days are long enough for our early evening sessions. So, with Christmas and the New Year freshly behind us, Issy and I set off to the bungalow for January's sessions. This month has set us a new and exciting challenge: Andover Railway Station is currently giving local community artists the rare chance to have their work displayed publicly.

Andover Station was recently adopted by a branch of The Arts Society, and The Arts Society Test Valley is now working with other stations on the South Western Railway (SWR) network to celebrate the achievements of local young people and enhance the travelling experience of passengers.

With help from SWR and funding from Community Rail Network, The Arts Society Test Valley has installed lockable frames in the waiting rooms at Andover Station, enabling local schools and colleges to display their artwork in the new exhibition space for the public to see. The Young Carers were invited to create some artwork that meant something to them. We were very kindly offered the opportunity to combine our work on 6 Trees & 6 Flowers with the Nature Nurture work that we are currently undertaking with this fabulous group of young people. Over January, we have worked with one of the wildflowers with each of the six young carers groups. The groups have used a wide range of mediums and created seven wonderful boards, demonstrating primrose, ox-eye daisy, bird’s-foot trefoil, dog violet, lady’s bedstraw, and cowslip. They will be displayed in Andover station's waiting rooms in the Easter term. There will also be an interactive picture, where you can vote on your favourite wildflower. We hope that you enjoy them.

December 2023

The Nature Nurture sessions resumed this month after a break for Schools’ Planting Weeks in November. Christmas most definitely felt closer each session this month. The sessions with the Young Carers have all been focused around creating Christmas and winter accessories using items from our natural environment - although I must admit some of the group did sneak some glitter into the mix!. The young people were amazing and took to yet another new set of skills with gusto - creating stars, Christmas tree decorations and wreaths. Some went home, whilst some were used to decorate the Young Carers bungalow. We can't wait to work with this amazing group of people after Christmas, when we will be concentrating on 6 of our native wildflowers that you will find in our woodland to create some beautiful artwork. Watch this space!

October 2023

The past two weeks have seen the start of the Nature Nurture project for the year of 2023 - 2024. ATU will be working with all ages of the Andover Young Carers throughout the school year. The young people will be spending time at Harmony Woods; it is our long-term aim to offer a space that teaches the importance of and inspires a love of the natural world, and that encourages community cohesion through action. We hope that this nature-nurture group is an opportunity for children to harness that feeling of belonging within an outdoor space.

Our first sessions have allowed us to introduce ourselves and for the young people to get to know us. We have really enjoyed meeting everyone whilst creating some excellent minibeasts, wonderful bird feeders as well as undertaking some excellent sewing to produce natural shibori wall hangings. We look forward to working with all the young people throughout the year.

The Nature Nurture Project 2023-24